Report on the Flint Assemblage, 1998 season
Introduction
A small assemblage of 15 knapped flints was recovered from the 1998 season of excavation at Nosterfield. The raw material type is in keeping with the more numerous samples from earlier excavations. There is a further knapped flake of chert. The material is again very well preserved.
Technology
Table 1 below sets out the components of the assemblage by basic knapped form irrespective of further working.
| Type | Quantity | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Blades (inc. pieces of) | 3 | 20 |
| Debitage (irregular shattered pieces) | 3 | 20 |
| Flakes (inc. pieces of) | 9 | 60 |
| Natural pieces (inc. pot lids) | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 15 | 100 |
Table 1. Quantities of flint by natural or knapped type
The figures from this sample are not statistically significant given the small volume of material. Both blade and flake working is evident as was noted from the earlier assemblages. There is again an absence of cores suggesting that knapping took place off-site or in discrete areas of the site.
Flakes and Blades
Flake production outnumbers blade production by a ratio of 3:1. The majority of the pieces have large bulbs of percussion suggesting the use of hard hammers. Use of softer hammer material such as antler or bone is also represented.
Two pieces of blade from context 1049 were found to conjoin to form a complete example. The blade is fairly robust and is broken laterally across its crest. The clean nature of the break and the lack of subsequent patination mean that the break could be ancient or modem.
One of the flakes from context 1005 is the only burnt example from the collection.
Worked pieces
Four of the pieces in the collection have light edge damage or light retouching demonstrating use. These are a robust blade from context 1000, the distal part of the broken blade from context 1049, and two flakes from context 1050. The limited nature of the working on the pieces suggests that they were expediently produced tools for craft activities or food preparation.
A single leaf shaped arrowhead is the only example of a fully worked item in the assemblage. The arrowhead was recovered from context 1049. The item is bifacially worked and is both leaf shaped at the butt and the tip. It is of particular interest as parts of both surfaces not removed by pressure flaking retain a blue-grey patina. The artefact has evidently been knapped from a patinated flake which may have been on site for centuries prior to its reuse for the production of the arrowhead. This re-use of earlier waste material was noted amongst the previously excavated material.
Chronology
The present assemblage lends little to the typological dating of the site. The leaf-shaped arrowhead can be dated to the earlier Neolithic period and is typical of Grimston Ware assemblages. Leaf shaped projectiles are however also documented from Bronze Age contexts (Green 1984, 33). The arrowhead is based on a blank formed by an earlier flake suggesting a depth in the chronology of the site.
Conclusion
The limited assemblage is in keeping with the larger collections recovered in previous excavations (Rowe 1998).
Bibliography
Green, H.S. 1984. Flint Arrowheads: Typology and Interpretation. Lithics 5, 19-39.
Rowe, P. 1998. Nosterfield 1991, 1994-1996. Flint Report. Unpublished report for Blaise Vyner, Heritage and Arts.
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